ENVIS Newsletter on Himalayan Ecology Vol.14 (4), 2017

Conservation of Wetlands with Particular Focus on Lake ..... The lake conservation is a part of conservation biology which is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction and the erosion of biotic interactions. It is an interdisciplinary subject drawing on science, economics, and the practice of natural resource management. The question of securing 's freshwater resources is of high risked one. Many perennial rivers and springs are now seasonal due to forest ecosystem degradation in the headwaters. In Bhimtal, there has been an attempt to use Lepidopteran communities (i.e. Butterflies) as bio-indicators of the health of a given forest ecosystem and nearby lake ecosystem (Fig. 1). Monitoring such communities would enable a better understanding of what used to be there, what should be there and how to go about restoring it, with a view to stabilizing perennial underground water resources. Any deterioration in habitats negatively impacts the flora and fauna. In the catchment area of Bhimtal, continuous expansion of population and residential area is affecting the forests. As the nearby villages are wholly dependent on the forest resources for their firewood, fodder, minor timber for housing and other requirements to sustain the livelihoods of about 7000 rural population of the area, the degradation of lake is obvious. Expanding infrastructure due to the establishment of several hotels and resorts, residential buildings, Govt. offices and road network has become the prominent feature of the catchment landscape. Disposal of debris generated due to construction activities is disposed off in open that finds its way to the lake through the seasonal streams during monsoon, which is harmful for the health of the lake. While the lakes in the nearby areas of Bhimtal are still in an oligitrophic state, conversion of catchment area of into hotels and resorts, road network, expansion of the urban settlements Fig.1. Butterfly in Bhimtal region of and other anthropogenic factors has led to the mesotrophic status of seedlings of tomato, brinjal, cauliflower, capsicum and cabbage the Bhimtal lake. Most of its catchment is already devoid of the forest during winter and coriander and other green vegetables during cover and the forest fire and physical forces to alter the landscape summer. To collect the rainwater, rooftop rainwater harvesting tanks accelerated by human activities are causing massive silt loads on the have been built and they are proving useful for water conservation and lake threatening its very survival. According to one estimate, the lake store of water for use in poly-houses and kitchen gardens. The bio- area has declined to 46.3 ha during last century and the reservoir briquette, a refinement of traditional practice for conversion of capacity of the lake has declined by over 50,000 cubic feet. The fish weeds or waste biomass into making low-cost, energy efficient, non- catch has declined from 2.12 tonne in 1958 to 1.14 tonne in 1976-77. hazardous fuel, offers tremendous potential for replication. The The district administration periodically employs huge labour and smokeless fuel can be easily sold in the local town as there is growing funds to desilt the lake and restore its natural character. It has been urbanization and demand for fuel for heating during winter is high. In speculated that in the recent years the depth of the lake has reduced this region, pine needles are abundantly available. It is also a fire due to siltation. Similarly, water has become turbid and fish varieties hazard causing forest fires in every summer. Use of weeds and waste are disappearing as per the local people. Major problem which the lake organic resource as an alternative for fuel would reduce pressure of is facing is the large amount of sediments that flows from the fuelwood collection from the forests of lake catchment. All these catchment into the lake and get deposited on the bed. Therefore activities targeted to natural resource conservation and sustainable dredging is required frequently. utilization would contribute to the protection of Bhimtal lake from Keeping in view the ecological, scenic and economic further deterioration. importance of Bhimtal lake, many Govt. /non-Govt. agencies are engaged in livelihood improvement and lake conservation activities in References: the area. The Lake Development Authority, Govt. of Uttarakhand sponsored a project to the G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhimtal_Lake. Environment and Sustainable Development (GBPNIHESD) which Negi GCS, Singh S Dhyani PP (2013). Impact of transforming aimed at participatory conservation of Bhimtal lake catchment. livelihood scenario in Bhimtal lake catchment in western Himalaya. Under this project, apart from restoration of community wastelands Journal of Hill Research. 26 (1 & 2): 112-116. through plantations and soil and water conservation measures in appx. 50 ha community wasteland, activities were also carried out to Peter Smetacek ([email protected]) increase the income generating avenues of the farmers. Several Butterfly Research Centre, training programmes focusing on low cost and environment-friendly Bhimtal, , technologies were organized for the farmers of catchment villages. To Uttarakhand supplement livelihood options of the local residents, promotion of protected cultivation using poly-houses was initiated in selected villages (Negi et al., 2013). The farmers are using them for raising

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